Art of producing flexible shingles



H. IVIAcINNES.

ART OF PRODUCING FLEXIBLE SHINGLESf APPLICATION FILED MAY 6. 192 1.

Patented 00 III, 1922 1A LAT/6..

II TTOR/I/EV sey City, county of Hudson, and

JEEUGH MAGTNNJES, 01E JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

ear or mono-cine rtnmntn snrnerns.

Application filed May 6,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that l, HUGH MAOINNES, a citizen of the United States, residin at Jertate of New Jersey, have invented a certain new. and useful Art of Producing Flexible Shingles,

- ofwhich the following is av specification.

This invention pertains to the art of making flexible shingles, whereby a flap isproduced u on each shingle without cracking or breaklng the shingle material.

Heretofore it has been customary to make flexible shingles by utilizing fibrous material rendered weatherproof by impregnating or saturating the same with an agent or composition of. agents whereof asphaltum is the chief ingredient. in the operation of laying individual shingles on a roof or other surface, the shingles cf the course are overlapped with shingles of another course or courses, leaving the lower corners exposed to view and to the weather. For fastening theindividual shingles in position, it has] been proposed to utilize locking means of one form or another, and among the expe'dients now used each shingle is provided with an underlying flap which is produced by bending the shingle material upon it self.

The fibrous material saturated or impreg= nated with a weatherp-roofin agent, such as asphaltum, is relatively sti and difficulty is experienced in bending such material, particularl in cold weather, for the reason that the re atively stid material is liable to crack or break along the line of. bend or fold.

- By this-invention it is sou ht to overcome the foregoing difficulty in t e manufacture of flexible shingles each having a folded flap, and to the attainment of these ends the shingle material is softened by the application of heat thereto, and such shingle material while in the softened'conditi'o'n is'bent or folded to produce the flap integral with the body portion of the shingle.

The procedure employed in carrying out this invention involves the application of heat to the flexible composite material. in

'two 'ways; first, a definite portion. of the shingle material is exposed to heat within a chamber, and, second-said shingle materialis brought into direct mechanical contact along the 1ine.of fold with-a heat ng element, such mechanicahcontact' resulting in the application of a more intense. heat. along .the line of fold than the temperature i) 1921. Serial No. 467,241.

tion is softened and rendered pliable with a view to bending or foldingthe same,'whcre-' as the application of a more intense heat at a definite line corresponding to the ultimate line of fold renders plastic the stiffening agent (asphaltum or its compounds), as a resuit of which said material is bendable upon the heated line without sub'ecting the material to the liability of crac ing or breaking irrespective of atmospheric conditions, even in cold weather. Furthermore, the material when folded or-d0ubled along the line rendered plastic by the application-of heat is cooled in one way or another, as by exposure to the air, and theplastic agent or ingredients present in such material becomes set and hardened, with the result that the folded or doubled section retains its shapeand resists any tendency to collapse or break down upon exposure to the weather or by temperature changes. This capacity of the doubled retain its condition is useful, more particularly, in shingles characterized by an ap parently thick butt or end of the nature disclosed ina co-pending application Serial No. 4:63,].95 filed by me on-April 21, 1921. The procedure involved in making folded shingles according to this invention" is depicted in the accompanying drawings, wherein---' u I Figure 1 is a plan view-illustrating diagrammatically the operation of feeding the shingle material successively to. heating means and to folding means.

Figure 2 is a similar view showing the steps of heating .,a definite portion of a shingleand of applying heat at the line of fold to the-shingle material.

Figure 3 is an edge view of the shingle with the heating means in cross section.

lFi ures dand 5 are views in edge elevation showing the successive stages of folding the heated shingle ymaterial by a continuous operation. l

"Figure 6 is a plan view of the shingle as an article when completed by the procedureof this invention. i V y I y The shingle material is of a size and shape suitable for'the purpose; as shown, it is a rectangular piece of material A with two corners cut off at a and provided in its edges with notches a in accordance with the invention of my prior application Serial No. 463,195 to which reference has been made, but, as stated, the form and dimensions may be varied within wide limits.

According to this invention, a definite portion or area of the shingle material is exposed to the action of heat, and to this end a corner portion of said shingle material is introduced within a chamber B in which is provided appropriate heating means C. As disclosed in a companion application wherein l have claimed a machine for making shingles, the chamber B is formed by an elongated box or casing b positioned adjacent an endless carrier D and parallel to the path of movement of a shingle or a succession of shingles, said box or casing being provided in one of its walls with a slot b. Carrier D feeds the individual shingles successively to the heating zone, and acts to carry said shingles for such a period of time as is, or maybe, required to impart heat to said shingles. Said carrier acts, also, as means for feeding shingles while in a heated condition to a bending mechanism by which said material, softened or rendered plastic by heat, is doubled or folded to produce a fia A at one corner of each shingle.

lly invention in the process may be carried out by hand with the aid of appropriate heating means and bending appliances; but for rapidity and uniformity of operation and economy in production, it is preferable to employ mechanism such as disclosed in my companion application of even date herewith. I

Any form of shingle feeding means may be used for transporting the shingles successively to the heating chamber and to bending)means, but when a chain conveyer such as is employed it should be provided with retainin means, indicated at d for precluding disp acement of the individual shingles with reference to the moving parts of said carrier.

The definite part of the shingle to be heated is that area comprised within one of the corner portions of the shingle, i. e. that portion which is manipulated by folding the material to produce the fla A. To this end, the shingles are supplied to the carrier to assume a position diagonally thereon, see Figures 1 and 2, wherein at least one corner portion of the shingle extends beyond the side of the carrier, and by locating the box or casing 12 adjacent the carrier, theshingle is moved in a path for the protruding corner portion of said shingle to travel within chamber B and the slot 1) in box I), see Figure 3. Provision is thus made for exposing a definite partjof the shingle to the action of heat so that the heated part is rendered more or less pliable in order that the material may be manipulated without cracking or breaking; but while said corner portion is heated throughout the area thereof, my invention involves the further or independent operation of applying a more intense heat to the shingle material at or along the line of bend or fold, which'greater degree of heat application to the shlngle material is obtained by the direct or surface contact of such material with a heating element which is maintained in a hot condition by an appropriate heating medium such as steam 01' electrical energy. I

A heating element for surface contactwith the shingle material at or along a line corresponding to the line of fold or bend is shown in Figures 2 and 3 as a steam pipe C positioned within chamber B and immediately below the slot b so as to lie..in the path of the corner portion of the shingle material. The heating pipe is thus related to the path of feed for each shingle to lodge upon and have surface contact with said heating pipe for an appreciable length of time, as a result of which'the shingle material during the period of its travel within the heating zone afforded by chamber B is in surface contact at a definite line directly with the heating element, C. Such surface contact of the heating element with the material renders plastic the agent or ingredients in corporated in the shingle material, to the end that said material is bendable or foldable, even in cold weather, at or along the heated line without the possibility of breaking or cracking while undergoing said bending operation.

Althou 'h I have described the steps of heating t e corner portion of the shingle material, and of applying by surface contact a greater or more intense heat at the bending line to such material, it is to be understood that said heating steps may be used con'jointly as stated or one heating operation may be used independently or to the exclusion of the other, thus the surface applicationof heat to the shingle material at the bending line may be used without resorting to the step of heating the area afforded by the corner portion of the shingle.

In a preferred note of procedure, the step of bending the corner portion at or along the heated line of surface contact is performed subsequently to the step of heating the shingle material, and by the aid of appropriate bending or folding means positioned exteriorly of the heating chamber; but this mode of manipulating the material externally of the heating zone is not cssen-' tial for the reason that the folding operation may, under some conditions, be performed within the heating zone, it being required that the bending or folding act iaaiare i be performed "while the material is in a softened or approximately plastic condition due to theapplication of heat thereto.

The bending mechanism embodied in the machine of my, companion application in cludes certain elements which are illustrated diagrammaticall in F igures at and 5 of the accompanying rawings, and which may be referred to briefly herein as the anvil plate or bar E, a guide and pressure'bar F and a curved bar H for imparting a fold to the corner portion as the shingle is moved by the carrier D. The group of bars constituting the bending or folding means are positioned exteriorly to the heatin chamber and in such relation to the line 0 feed that the shingle material advanced by the carrier is positioned for its heated corner portion to pass between anvil bar Fand' ressure bar G. Said anvil bar.

portion of said shingle to produce the flap- A thereon. The shingle material, heated at the line of fold or bend, passes-from .the heatlng none to the anvil plate or bar so as to rest @into contact with. the top face of said bar, the heated line of the shingle m ae the carrier.

terial being adjacent or next to and relative bar is such t dome in the shingle t the bending edge f of said anvil. bar, bar cooperates the turning bar H, the form ,osition of which to the anvil atas theshinglematerial is advanced by" the carrier, said heated corner portion of the shingle material is bent ordoubled along the heated line of contact and aroundthe nding edge 7 of said anvil bar, such folding or bending step beingperformedat successive stages or gradually duringthe movement-of the shingle material and such folding operation being con tinued until the corner portion is folded'beneath-the body of the shingle, parallel thereto, as indicated in- Figure 5 in order to proe in a heated condition: to produce the underlying.flap, ,said material: is moved by the carrier away from -the foldforming I mechanism The shingle is now exposure to the atmospheric air,

agen or agents softened by the action of heat, and thus the folded or doubledportion cooling and with this anvil shingles,

e underlying flap A; I The shin 1e material having been bent or folded whi thereafter coolin and discharged from,

shingle by the. application of heat to a defi-.

nite part of said shingle blank material,

such softened condition, and thereafter the heated portion of said shingle material. a

2. In the art of producing composition shingles, the process which consists in feed= ing a composition shingle blank into a heating zone, applying heat to. the shingle material at a line corresponding to the l1ne of bend or fold, bending said shingle ma- .terial at the heatedline, and subsequently cooling the heated part of said shingle material.

3. ln the art of producing composition shingles, the process which consists in feeding a composition shingle blank into a heating zone, and while said shingle blank is in movement, applying heat at a line of fold by surface contact with a heating eiement, bending a part of the shingle material at the heated line, and thereafter cooling the heated portion of said shingle material.

4. In the art of producing composition shingles, the process which consists in feeding a shingle blank into a heating zone, and

-bending or folding the material while in N while said shingle blank is injmotion heat- 1 ing theshingle material at a definite line of surface contact with a heating while such ortion of the shlngle material is in such eated condition, bending or foldin the same at the definite heated line to pro uce a flap unitary with the body porr-v tion of said shingle material.

5. in 1' the art of producing composition the process which consists in imparting movement to a shingle blank, exposmg a definite ortion of the shingle material to heaturing the'movement of the shingle blank, bending or folding the shingle material at such heated and moving condition, and 'g the heated portion of the shin 'le material. I

'6, n the art of shingles, the process which consists in imparting movement to a shingle blank, ex-

poslng during such movement a definite cooled," by e or other-. wise 'the effect ofwhich'is to harden the portion ofthe shingle material to the action said shingle material 'at element, and.

a definite line while in of heat "and in heating by surface contact I a line correspond- P ing to the line of fold, and while the shingle -blankis in'transit bending the. heated por: lac

tion of the shingle material and at the heated line of contact to produce a flap. unitary with the body portion of the shingle. 7. In the art of producing flexible shingles, the process which. consists in feeding the shingles into heating zones and bending zones successively, heating a definite portion of each shingle while the same is moving within the heating zone, and folding the heated portion of each shingle on a definite line while said shingle is advanced within the bending zone.

8. In the art of producing flexible shingles, the process which consists feeding the shingles into heating zones and bending zones successively, heating a corner portion of each shingle and heating the shingle material at a definite line by surface contact with a heating element during the pe-- riod of moving the shingle Within the heating zone, and thereafter folding the heated corner portion and on .the definite heated line during the period of movement Within the bending zone.

9. In the art of producing flexible shingles, the process which consists of feeding successive shingles within a heating zone'and a bending zone, heating the material of each shingle by surface contact with a heating element at a line corresponding to the line of fold during the period of movement within the heating zone, folding the material of each shingle along the heated line during the period of movement within the bending zones, and thereafter coolin the heated portion of each shingle.

10. in the art of making composition flexible shingles, the process which consists in moving a shingle blank in a determined path, heating a portion of said shingle blank at a definite line while said blank is moving in said path, and bending said shingle blank along said heated line and during a continued movement thereof.

11. In the art of making composition flexible shingles, the process which consists in heating a shingle blank at a definite-line crosswise of a corner portion of said blank, bending the material of said blank along the heated line and producing a flap in lapping 'relation to the body portionof the blank, and cooling the blank.

12. In the art of making composition flexible shingles, the process which consists in moving a shingle blank in a determined HUGH MAOINNES. 

